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- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. T. J. W. ROBERTSON. 7

Sewing Machine. v

Patented Nov. 28., 1-854.-

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UNITED runes. 1:1. w. noBEn'r'soN, on nnoontrn, new roan, Assrenqn Tee;I. w.

PATENT Onrren ROBERTSON AND A E.v BEACH.

I'M P ROV'E M ENT' m s EWING MAC HI NEIS;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. {9,0 I 5. datedNovember 28, 18.34.

To all whom, it may conceive Be it known that I, THOMAS J. W.- ROBERT-soN, of the city, county, and Stateof New York, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Sewing-Machines; and I do hereb'ydecl'are that thefollowing is a full and exact descrip tion thereof.

This inyention consists in making an f interlocked stitch (such ashasheretofore been made by a needle" and shuttle) by means of a needleand insulated or detached thread-ease i thread is wound upon the spoolo,and passes through the thread-guides 70, 7c, and Z, through the point ofthe needle i, in the manner shown in the various figures; The otherthread is containedwithin the thread-jcaset, passingout of thethread-case through an aperture'in the -5 same manner as shown in Figs.I3, 14,154 Y The cloth tobe sewed 'is placed on a'frame;

a", as seenin Fig. 3. The fiy-wheel d is fnr {n'i'shed on its insidewith a cam-groove, into which one end of the working,.-bar'c projects,

so that by turning the fly-wheel an up andwhen the said thread-case andneedle are" searranged and operate togeth'er as'that the loop formed bythe'ne'edle thread is drawn by the needle in its return or backstroke'ov'er the thread-case to form the stitch, essentially ashereinafterdescribed; and my inventionfure ther consists in animprovement in the feedmotion.

To enable others" skilled in theart to' make and use my improvement, Iwill proceed to describe its construction and operation, referencebeing. liad'tothe'ann'exe'd drawings, form ing a part of thisspeeificati'on, i1'1-which--- Figure 1 1s a side View of myimproveinent; Fig. 2, an end View of the same;

an enlargedjend View, showing the sliding frame and needle raisedabovetheol'otlr; Fig. 4, enlarged end View, showing the sliding framethrown down, the needle havin'geonv pleted its downward movement; Fig.5, the same, showing position of needle when throwing the loop overpoint of thread-ease; Fig; 6,

enlarged-end vertical'sectionof feed apparatus;

Fig. 7, enlarged side View of same; Fig. 8; top section of a portion ofarm b,- Fi'g'. 9, section of feed-bar and sliding frame throughlines-g jfront end of the'supportingj-arm I) means'of Fig'.'10, sectional view,showiiiigi manner of holding thread-case, Fig. 11, feed rollerand 1 11pagainst onesid'e of the sliding; frame f by means of thespringn, therebeinga pin on the I movable cam,- against which the spring bears. vWhentheneedle-bardescends, the pinx'passes plate, being a sectionthrough 2 2; Fig. 12 represents the needlein' its relative position tothe'thread-casewhentheloopis being-thrown over the thread-ease; Figs;13, 14,15; the thread-case detached;- Fig. 16, enlarged section ofcloth, showing interlecked stitch.

Similar letters refer to like'pa-rts.

c'is the'frameof the'machine; b, supporti arm, 1), front end of arm; 0.,Working-lever; 0, bearing of same; cl, fly-whee'l'; 6, connecting:-link; f, sliding' frame; f f, gibs of same; 9, needle-bar; g, pivot ofsame; 71, needle-bar support; h, adjustablefeed-pin; -i, needle; 73',

point of saline; 7t 70 Z, threadguides; m, movguide pi'eee, 0, spool;-p, feed-bar; p,- adjust- 1 able guide-piece; p ratchet-spring; q,feedbar connecting-rod; q, feed-bar spring; 1*, bot- }tom feed-plate;7-, feed-wheel; s s, adjustingscrew'; 5 screw-bearing.;, t, thread-ease;t, f thread-casespring; t", thread-guide, u, threadc'ase holder; x, pin;w, side of thread-case A, 1 eloth; B, upper thread; 0, lowerthread.

'Theredl'inesindicatethethread. 'rn u per down motion is imparted tothewo'rki'ng-bar '0'. Avertical movement is communicated to the slidingframe f b'y'means of theconneetinglink 6,, which unites it with theworking-bar c.

The sliding frame f slides between gibsf f, as seenin thevario'usfigures. The needle-bar is attachedto itssupport h, which latteris fastened to'th'e sliding frame-f, sothat theneedietary, and with itthe needle '11, have avertreat movement corresponding to the motion ofthe-sliding frame f. Theneedlebar'has a i pivot atg. The needle bary'isfn'rnishedwith a" cross-head, on the inside of which there is a pin, or;Themevablec'am m is attached to the a'screw, as shown. This inov'ablec'a'in is pressed between the cam-point m and the side of the 1slidingjframe f; but when'the'need'lebar rises,

in eonsequeneeof the poinliim bearingll against thesideofthes'liding'frame'f, thepinm'cannot pass'between'the sliding frame'fandthecamin thesame'manner as it did in descending"; The

pin r, therefore, bears againshthe' opposite lower side of the point m,which causes the needle-bar to take a lateral movement until it haspassed the pointm, which is thicker than the other portions of the camm. This lateral movement of the needle-bar, it will be seen, does nottake place until just after the needlebar commences to rise. The bearingof the pin 0/; against the end of the cam-point m and the lateralmovement thus communicated to the needle-bar g are shown in Fig. 5. Asbefore stated, the needle 1 is attached to the needle bar g, whichlatter has a pivot at g, so that when the upper part of the needle-barreceives lateral movement in one direction, the needle point receives alateral movement in an opposite direction. The thread-case f is placedjust below the level of the frame. A crosssection of this case shows itssides to be angular. (See Figs. 10 and 15.) The thread-case fits into acorresponding cavityin the threadcase holder at, in which position it isretained by the spring t. The thread retained in the interior of thethread-case is drawn out through an aperture in the upper end of thethreadcase, as shown. XVhen the threaded needle descends, it rises againin exactly the same direction for a short distance until the pin instrikes the lower end of the cam m. In this manner a loop is formed bythe thread at the end of the needle, which loop, by the rising of theneedle-bar and the lateral movement im parted thereto by the contact ofthe pin with the under side of the cam-point m, is thrown over the lowerpoint of the thread-case t, and as the needle is constantly rising theloop so formed and thrown over the point is drawn round the body of thethread-caset and unites dependent, so that the loop is passed over thethread-case entirely, and with as much certainty as if a movable shuttlewere employed, which was forced through ai'ace, 830. t is a guide, whichprevents any failure in the loop from passing over the pointof thethread-case. Thus it will be seen that it is the retraction or backstroke of the needle itself drawing the loop over the insulatedthread-case that produces the locking-stitch, or gears the two threadsto form the double or interlocked stitch, without any driven action orworking movement of the thread-case or other device besides the needlein its retraction, and in thus dispensing with all driving meehanismbelow the table or frame a a great advantage is obtained, and thecarrying-arm b may be arranged to stand distinct from the table or framea, so to admit of wide sheets of clothsuch as coverlidsbeing spread onthe table and worked throughout their width. The object of the lateralplay of the needle is merely to introduce the loop of the needlethreadover the point of the thread-casethat is, to make the thread-case enterthe loop to enable the needle in its retraction to pass the loop overthe tliread-case, as and for the ob-.

ject specified-that is,to gear the two threads orform the double stitch.The lateral play of the needle, therefore, so far as this effect isconcerned, need be but very slight; or the lateral play of it may bealtogether dispensed with, and the loop of the needle-thread beintroduced over the point of the thread-case, either by a side playimparted to the loop toward the close of the descent or early part ofthe ascent of thc needle, so as merely to catch the loop over the pointof the thread-case; or the same effect may be produced by constructingthe thread-case or its holder in any elastic, hinged, or loose mannerwhich will admit of the end or point of the thread-case being canted, orcanting itself to enter the loop of the needlethread as the loop passesthe point of the thread-case, so that and in either of which cases theloop will be drawn over the thread case, thus entering it, by theretraction of the needle itself, to produce the double stitch, the sameas when the needle was made to play laterally to introduce the loop overthe point of the threadrase, and the thread-case be caused to retain thesame stationary character or freedom from driving action or operation topass the loop over it, which distinguishes it, as a different thingentirely, from the various shuttle motions or other separate drivingapparatus for passing the loop, it being the needle itself, by itsretraction, as before speci fied, that in my machine draws the loop overwhat may consequently be termed a stationary thread-case, to produce theinterlocked stitch. \Vhere the needle having no side play is used, thefeed of the cloth should take place when the needle is out of the cloth.I claim nothing new in a needle having side play.

The feeding apparatus consists of a feed-bar, p, having a lower plate,0', on which plate the feed-roller r is secured. At (f the feed-bar ishinged to a connecting-piece, q, above. 1) is an adjustable guidepieceattached to the feedbar 1), and secured by means of an adjustable screw.One end of the feed-roller 1- is furnished with a ratchet, into whichthe end of the ratchet-spring 19 works. When the slid ing frame fdescends, the adjustable feed-pin h strikes against the adjustable guide1), which gives a lateral movement to the feedbar 1; and feed-roller 0",the ratchet-spring p permitting the feed-wheel 1- to turn only in onedirection. The feed-bar p accommodates itself to this lateral movementby the hinge at q. (f is a spring which presses against the feed-bar 12,so that after the feed-bar has received its lateral movement by thedescent of the sliding frame f, the feed-bar is thrown back again afterthe sliding frame rises. In this manner the cloth is fed along with theutmost regularity and certainty. At 88 is an adjusting-screw, by merelyturning which the length of the stitch is regulated. The connecting-rodq extends up through an aperture in the arm 1), its upper end beingpressed by the feedspring g. In this manner the pressure of thefeed-roller 2- upon the cloth is rendered always even, and if there areany variations in the thickness of the cloth during its passage 7 underthe feed-roller the feed-motion will operate just as well. There is anadjustable spring on the side of the arm I), which presses on the spool0, regulating the tension of the upper thread. The tension of the lowerthread in the thread-case is regulated in its exit by passing throughapertures in the side or end of the thread-case. The feed-plate 7- isslotted, so as to afford an aperture for the needle to pass. Theroller-1" has a groove in its center, so that the teeth of the rollermay not interfere with the seam produced in the opera tion of sewing.The thread-case t is threesided, having a slide, w, by removing which.

the thread may be introdued.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. Making the interlockedstitch by causing the needle to pass its thread over a stationarythreadcase, in which the other thread is contained, in the mannersubstantially as described.

2. The combination of the threadease t with the thread-case holder u bymeans of a spring, t, or its equivalentthatis to say, when so arrangedas that while the spring holds the thread-case securely in place thethread-case holder and spring shall permit the needlethread to be drawnaround the thread-case to

